


Total Eclipse Of The Heart

by ragewerthers



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Humor, M/M, Some feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-29
Updated: 2019-07-29
Packaged: 2020-07-25 01:34:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,259
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20024368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ragewerthers/pseuds/ragewerthers
Summary: What starts off as a running joke between friends turns into something to help tether them to a world thrown into chaos.





	Total Eclipse Of The Heart

**Author's Note:**

> This all started with a gif I sent my friend and one of my favorite songs instantly coming to mind! I just wanted to write a little something with some Gladnis feels and hopefully it will fill some Gladnis feels for others in return!
> 
> You can also find me on Tumblr at ragewerthers.tumblr!
> 
> Happy reading! :)

It had started off as a joke years ago, back when the Citadel still stood tall and proud. Back when the city they loved was more than just rubble and darkness and the only thing they had to worry about was making sure Noct didn’t turn his brain to goo from video games. Back when they themselves were only just finding their own way in life while trying to help guide another persons.

All it had taken was four simple words.

“Turn around, bright eyes!”

The shout had echoed down one of the corridors of the Citadel, completely taking Ignis by surprise as he turned to see what all the commotion was about.

His eyes were met with a gleeful looking Gladio, dashing down the hallway to catch up to him.

“Gladiolus? Is something the matter?” the young retainer asked as the Shield finally caught up, catching his breath as he shook his head. A breathless chuckle escaped him as he saw the look in Ignis’s eyes, realizing he must’ve startled the poor guy.

“No… I was just gonna walk with you to your next meeting, but you must’ve been thinking pretty hard because you didn’t hear me calling for you at all!” he teased, slinging an arm around Ignis’ shoulders, jostling him just enough to knock his glasses askew.

Ignis couldn’t help flushing a bit, still unused to someone being so friendly with him and, manhandling him for lack of a better term though the touches were by no means unwanted.

Gladio had always been a tactile sort of person and Ignis was never shorted on his fair share of hair tousling, one armed hugs and hearty claps to his back thanks to his friend.

As he brought a hand up to adjust his glasses he tried to quell the warmth in his cheeks, though a smile still appeared. “I’m afraid I might have been a little caught up in my thoughts yes,” he admitted, shaking his head a bit as they started to make their way back down the hallway. Ignis noticed that Gladio’s arm remained around his shoulders and to be honest he wasn’t keen for it to move away too soon.

“It’s alright. It’ll do you good to have my company in these little breaks before meetings to clear your head a bit,” Gladio said slyly before his smile grew into a shit eating grin that Ignis found he both hated and loved. “That okay with you, _ bright eyes _ ?” As he spoke the last two words a little lilt to his voice made them melodic and Ignis instantly registered what he was doing.

Rolling his eyes at that he shook his head though his ears still managed to tinge a bit pink at the mans antics.

“What can I say? _Every now and then I get a little bit lonely…,_ ” he sang back and was cut off as Gladio instantly burst out laughing, making them both pause in the middle of the corridor. A few passing council members gave them narrowed expressions at causing such a ruckus before moving on. Ignis really couldn’t help snorting at their reaction to the Shield and he felt his heart flutter to know he’d gotten the man to laugh like that.

“Oh my gods, Iggy! I didn’t think you’d know the song!” Gladio said after a moment, his eyes sparkling with mirth as Ignis only smiled wider.

“I’m a man of many surprises,” he deadpanned, making Gladio break out into a bigger smile and Ignis thought his heart would absolutely melt seeing those amber eyes looking at him so fondly.

It was dangerous to let his thoughts linger further on that note and he gave Gladio’s hip a little bump with his own as he finally moved away, causing the larger man’s arm to slip from his shoulders.

“Now if you’ll excuse me I have to get to my meeting,” he said lightly, turning to see the fond expression still over Gladio’s features.

“Fine. But now that I know I can lure you out of your head with that, I’m not gonna stop,” Gladio warned, giving the man his most charming smile.

Ignis could only chuckle before continuing on to the conference room, stopping short when he heard the soft humming of the song from behind him as Gladio made his way back down the hall.

“Absolutely incorrigible,” he murmured to himself as he made his way into the room, the song continuing to play through his head the entire meeting.

\---------------------------------

Thus, a running joke was soon created between the pair. If Gladio caught sight of Ignis making his way through the Citadel an inevitable “ _ Turn around, bright eyes _ !” could be heard calling out to him.

In return, Ignis would always find a means to insert another lyric into their conversation, always leaving Gladio with the biggest smile on his face.

A perfect example was the time Gladio had walked in on Ignis cooking in Nocts apartment. 

He’d turned the corner from the hallway and seen the man’s back to him as he chopped up something on the counter. Unable to help himself he called out his usual “ _ Turn around...”  _ This time, however, it was met with a sniffle and all levity left Gladio’s face as he quickly moved forward and laid a hand on the man’s shoulder.

“Iggy? Ignis what’s wrong?” he asked before a pungent smell got to him and he felt his own eyes sting.

“A-apologies, Gladio,” Ignis sniffled again, setting the knife he was using down next to the cutting board full of chopped onions and bringing a towel up to wipe at his eyes. “These bloody things are… a bit more pungent than I was anticipating.”

Gladio felt an instant relief in his chest and ran a hand through his hair. “No need to apologize, Iggy. I just… I thought maybe something..,” he faltered here a bit as emerald green eyes looked up at him with a fondness he wasn’t ready for. His heart doing an odd somersault in his chest.

“You thought what? That  _ every now and then I get a little bit tired of listening to the sound of my tears? _ ” he sang back lightly before breaking off into a chuckle of his own.

Hearing the way Ignis responded to his worry, Gladio instantly felt the last of this tension drain away and a warm smile made its way to his lips as well.

“Hey… can’t blame a guy for wanting to make sure you’re alright,” he murmured and Ignis felt his own heart flutter once more.

A small silence fell between them after that and they stood awkwardly waiting for the other to say something. After a moment Ignis cleared his throat, apparently startling Gladio out of his own reverie as he jumped a bit and another bout of awkward laughter moved between them.

“Would... you care to help me finish this up? Perhaps you’ll have better luck cutting these beasts,” Ignis said glaring down at the onions.

Gladio laughed and nodded, the two settling down into an easy rhythm of work, hips bumping jokingly and little comments exchanged playfully as something continued to grow between them that neither knew how to approach.

\---------------------------------

Yet time changes things. It makes people braver, makes confessions easier and helps relationships grow and strengthen.

There finally came a time where secrets were laid bare, where they realized that the fondness, the smiles, the shared laughter and jokes were only a part of what they adored from one another and something deeper, richer, better grew from it.

But just as kindly as time can help things grow, its changes can also create pain.

The Fall of Insomnia.

Altissia.

Zegnautus Keep.

Moments when time was its cruelest and relationships and bonds were tested, weighed and measured. It was as if those silly days of shared jokes were all a distant memory if they had ever been real at all.

\---------------------------------

It had been three weeks since the events at Zegnautus Keep. Gladio and Ignis had managed to find their way to Lestallum as the nights continued to grow longer and the future of Eos was brought into question.

Making his way up the stairs to the small shared apartment they had procured, Gladio took a deep breath.

So many things had been said between them. Words meant to hurt, words meant to protect, all of them seeming to find a way to cut at each other when what they had needed most was to stand strong beside each other.

Now, with the inevitable waiting game that was to come, a rift needed to be mended between them. They’d lost so much already… he wouldn’t let them lose each other as well.

Stepping into the dingy apartment he could hear the crackle of the radio in the far corner of the room atop a rickety old nightstand. A dingy couch was up against the other wall and near their small kitchen a little table sat with two chairs.

One chair was currently occupied. The mans back was to him as he sat hunched over the small table, face hidden in his hands. His dark visor sat near his elbow, precariously close to the table edge where his cane leaned against it.

Something clenched in Gladio’s chest as he watched his partner for a moment, realizing that he hadn’t been noticed, not yet, and gods if that didn’t make his heart ache even more.

Quietly closing the door behind him he watched the twitch of Ignis’s head as he turned it slightly toward the noise before turning back.

So many things had been messed up between them, but now Gladio only wanted to make them right. But how?

An idea sprang to mind… a little memory of a time long ago when laughter was easier to come by and secrets were still held close to their hearts.

“ _ Turn around…, _ ” Gladio whispered quietly, the words almost more spoken than sung.

A small huff came from Ignis and he shook his head. “Ridiculous.”

Undeterred, Gladio stepped a little closer. “ _ Turn around…, _ ” he whispered again, though this time the melody carried through in his deep baritone.

This time Ignis lowered his hands to rest them on the table. “Gladiolus… now is not the time.”

Gladio remained intent on his mission and moved closer still, a little smile even playing over his lips. “ _ Turn around, bright ey-...,”  _ and just like that the wind was knocked out of him as he realized what he was saying.

For a moment the entire room went still, Gladio watching the tension building in Ignis’s back. Gods how could he have been this… stupid? Why couldn’t he think before he spoke? Hadn’t he learned from what he’d done on the train? In the marsh? Hadn’t he learned to shut his mouth before he put his foot in it?!

But then a new noise filled the space and Gladio had to pause a moment to realize that it was coming from Ignis. It was a noise he hadn’t heard in ages.

A chuckle.

A small one at first that slowly grew into something that felt warm and genuine and nestled itself into Gladio’s chest and next to his heart.

Turning around in his chair, Ignis’s grey eyes looked in the direction of his partner, a tired… but genuine smile on his lips.

“Why did you stop? You were just getting to the good part,” Ignis murmured, his smile slowly faltering then cracking into something else as one emotion led to another that had been held at bay for too long.

Gladio took the two steps that separated him from his partner and wrapped him up in his arms, kneeling in front of him and cradling him close to his chest. Letting him feel safe and vulnerable in a world that had been thrown into chaos.

He felt the way fingers gripped into the back of his shirt, his shoulder slowly growing damp where Ignis hid against him.

Soothing a hand against his partners back, Gladio found himself humming gently before murmuring their song between them.

“ _ And I need you now tonight,” _ he began slowly, feeling the way Ignis tried to calm against him.

_ “And I need you more than ever.”  _ No longer was this song simply a silly running joke between them. It was something to tether them to a different time… and to remind them that there was still good. That things would still be alright.

_ “And if you only hold me tight… we'll be holding on forever,”  _ Ignis whispered thickly against his shoulder, Gladio’s own eyes stinging slightly as he gave a pained smile and hugged his partner closer.

“ _ Once upon a time there was l-light in my life… now there’s only love in the dark. _ ” Gladio gave a watery chuckle as he heard Ignis carry on to the next lyric leaning back and finding a small smile also on his partners lips, even as a few tears managed to escape from his eyes.

Bringing a hand up to cup Ignis’s cheek he soothed away the tears before leaning up to gently press their foreheads together.

“I’m sorry, Iggy,” he whispered, nudging their noses together, feeling the way the Advisors hands carefully searched to cradle his face in his hands as well.

“Nothing to apologize for,” he murmured back, voice still rough from trying to get his emotions back in check. A little smile still played across his lips as he pressed a small, chaste kiss to Gladio’s lips.

“We simply had a total eclipse of the heart.”


End file.
